Releasing Pressure

[Chalk Ammelid]

"Target lockon! Target lockon!" said a computerised voice.

A sudden 'boom' noise rung out through the quiet tranquility of the forest. The sound of splintering rock and cracking wood drifted through the leaves.

"Jackhammer reconstruction engaged! Ten seconds to reform!"

"Revolver stake! Rescue Claw!" cried a new voice.

"Systems activated!"

Through the dust of the initial dove a figure. A brown rabbit with giant mechanical wings. In one hand she held a large set of hydralic claws and in the other a large metal pike fixed to an oversized revolver cylinder. Her eyes fixed onto a large piece of rock that had not been completely destroyed and she thrust the claw out towards it. Seizing it in the jaws she slammed the hardened spike into the piece. A moment later the cylinder gave off a crack as one of its rounds was fired.

The rock fragmented a moment later as she jumped back with a graceful backflip. Landing on the ground a few meters away she panted a few times heavily and looked around her. The clearing she was in was a complete train wreck. Trees around the edge had been uprooted, huge rocks had been smashed apart and the ground itself held craters and the residue of a thick foam.

She smiled to herself quietly.

[Chadin]

[Mind if I join the fun?]

All that racket had more affect than letting off some steam. Not far off into the woods from where Chalk stood, a lone figure dressed in a green leather tunic stirred for the first time in days. Chadin groaned as the weary drowsiness slipped away. He rubbed his aching head and started to lift himself off the forest floor. "Ugh... what happened?"

Another loud crash of falling trees, snapped the sharp eared buck into full alert as his head spun around to match the direction his ears already pointed in. Chadin glanced over to his side and quickly spotted his faithful crossbow lying beside him in its compact form. He snatched the weapon from the ground and jumped to his feet. He still didn't know what that brilliant light was that must have knocked him out, but he did know that whatever was going on, he needed to investigate. Cautiously, Chadin crept his way through the forest towards the source of the disturbance.

[Saria]

[Mind if I come along as well?]

Saria was still at a bit of a loss at what to do. She said she was going to help the Freedom Fighters and knew they primarily fought Robotnik but it seemed like there was a lack of organization when it came on how to fight him. She was not sure herself what to do. Her thoughts were cut short as loud 'boom' sent birds flying and Saria falling from a tree limb to the forest floor with a 'thud'.

"Ow! What the heck!?"

She stood back up making sure she did not break anything in her fall. She looked around to see if anyone is watching.

"Now... what was that?"

Her wings became visible as she lifted herself up into the trees and worked her way just above the edge of the tree line. She slowly looked around for anything that might show what that sound was a second ago. She noticed the dust cloud that had been made to the east of her. She dropped slowly back to the ground

"Alright, that way."

Her wings faded from view again as she broke into a light jog towards the dust clouds.

[Chalk Ammelid]

[Don't mind at all. ^^]

Seemingly content with her earlier destruction Chalk now sat on piece of an uprooted tree staring up at the sky above her. As she watched the clouds slowly flow past above her she sighed and looked away. Things just weren't the same without Linda around. She slowly stood and flexed her arms a little.

"Jackhammer reformation complete."

Chalk gave a small smile and held out her right arm. "Form Jackhammer, range 40m, tether enable."

The weapon construct quickly formed up around her arm ending with a giant battering ram head on the end. She gripped the fire control and swung the ram round. Her sight levelled on a large fallen tree on the other side of the clearing. She squeezed the trigger.

With a crack the hammer fire, sending the projectile hurtling across the clearing and straight into the tree. It splintered into pieces as it hit and the cable then began to retrack the ram. If anything Chalk looked a little bored.

[Chadin]

Another crack of splintering wood echoed throughout the forest. My Keen hearing had little trouble detecting and pinpointing where it came from. I'd been uncertain of exactly what it was that I'd heard before, but now, with my head more fully awake, I knew that whatever was going on it certainly wasn't anything natural.

In fact, as I crouched down low and stalked my way towards the clearing's edge I could hear a voice, followed by the familiar humming and whirring noises I've come to associate with robots. The thought that I might be facing some sort of machine immediately got me into high alert. I've fought many of Robotnik's androids before and if there is one thing I've learned, its that I can never under estimate them. As I drew near a tree, I peaked cautiously around the edge of the wide oak, and unfolded my crossbow.

What I saw however really surprised me. There, in the forest, stood a half-rabbit, half-robot. "Another Rabbot...?" I mused in a hushed whisper. I'd meet the Rabbot that lived in Knothole village, but this one seemed altogether completely different. Now I really didn't know how to proceed with this one, so I decided I'd remain in my hiding place and wait and see what this stranger might do.

[Saria]

Saria ran for a bit through the forest rather quickly towards the direction of the noise. She hears the clear sound of more wood breaking, with a few more birds flying away.

"What is going on?"

She kept moving till she came running straight into the clearing, stopping a few steps into the clearing. She looked around at the general destruction before her and was a bit surprised to say the least. She noticed the half fur and half robot thing that based on its very odd appearance to Saria, appeared to the culprit of the noise and the destruction of the general area. Saria left hand almost grabbed the handle of the claymore, horizontally across her back as she watched the fur. She was not what to make of the fur at first. She felt a bit angry for the general destruction and her less-then natural appearance did not make a very good impression to Saria.

“What are you doing!?”

She was not sure if she was hostile or anything, or maybe one of Robotnik’s new machine. She knew however senseless destruction of the forest was not something she would turn her back on.

[Chalk Ammelid]

The bored look on Chalk's face quickly changed to one of shock as Saria spoke. With a click the Jackhammer retraction was complete and the weapon was being swung round towards the sound as Chalk turned with it. She held it firmly but didn't fire, the rabbit instead staring at Saria over the top of it. Behind her the flight wings on her suit were pointing down and outwards, the engines mounted in them casting a shimmering effect behind her.

Chalk didn't seem impressed with the giant weapon. Not knowing more about its specifics or who Saria was she simply assumed it was an overly large claymore. Slowly she lowered her weapon and allowed it to dissolve into thin air.

"Practicing," she replied, her voice now holding the bored tone her face had been showing earlier, "Who're you?"

[Chadin]

I watched with great interest as the weapon the rabbot carried reformed at the tip. I've never seen one of Robotnik's machines do that before. Than again... Robotnik seemed to have a bottomless pit of gimmicky toys and gadgets. Things got really strange though when a female Overlander blundered into the clearing; and just to make things really strange this one had wings!

Now, I've personally never met an Overlander myself, but my Dad told me alot of gruesome things about them from his time in the Great War. Suffice to say, but I really don''t have a very high opinion of them.

But oddly enough, when the girl demanded to know what the rabbot was doing, I found myself immediately snapping my crossbow up to my eye and sighted on the rabbot's weapon. Okay, I may not have a high opinion of Overlanders, but my parents still taught me to value life nonetheless. Not only that, but given my earlier suspicions about this rabbot causing all this damage to the Great Forest, and now turning a weapon on this Overlander and the way she spoke? Yeah, I'd say that sort of put me on the side of the Overlander on this one.

I quickly slapped an ion clip into my crossbow and pumped the first round in. Before I took my shot I took a quick glance over to the side and spotted a good hiding spot. My mind made up, I sighted on the rabbots weapon and fired. I didn't wait to see if my shot had the desired effect of disabling the weapon because I was already on the move and shifting positions. With any luck the sudden surprise of the shot would keep them too busy to notice me shifting positions. By then I'll be in a good position to observe what the reaction will be and able to strike again with surprise on my side if things turn south.

[Saria]

[Saria's wings are not visible right now, but since I don't think that will have a major impact on things I'll keep going.]

"Does your practice generally involve destroying the natural environment!?"

Saria yelled back, over shouting the last part of the rabbit's question. She was going to make her intent clear as day as destruction of the environment just seem completely wrong. The sight of something shooting across the side of her vision and it came straight at the rabbit. She did not see where it came from at all, she had been too focused on the rabbit to notice and was still so even now as it came up on her. She was not even sure what the thing was but she made no attempt to move or react to it, she was simply surprised by it.

Wha~!?

[Chalk Ammelid]

Chalk rolled her eyes and gave a small uninterested moan. She was about to turn away when the shot rang out across the clearing. Although Chadin had been aiming for Chalk's weapon he would be out of luck. The particle manipulation generator had already started to deconstruct the ram and by the time the shot reached her there was nothing there but thin air. The shot had been on course though and would have made contact if it had still been there.

Chalk didn't even speak as she spun round in the rough direction of the shot. Saria was firmly out of her mind for now, she wasn't a threat right now...more like a mother. The thought would have made Chalk laugh if her attention wasn't elsewhere.

"Foam Launcher," she said quickly as her right arm swung round and pointed in the rough direction of the shot.

"Launcher system engaged," replied a small voice as a three barreled launcher appeared around her right arm.

A moment later Chalk fired, the three barrels unloading their contents with a small electric humm. The shots each hit seperate things; one struck the ground, another impacted a trunk and the third struck the overhanging braches. The woodland at the edge of the clearing was quickly filled with a large quantity of white fire fighting foam.

Chalk kicked back, the engines mounted in her flight wings coming to life with a small whine and propelling her up into the sky a few meters. She stayed still, hovering in mid air with her sights fixed on the area she had just fired on.

"Cannon," she stated quickly. The computer acknowledged her command and the foam launcher was quickly replaced by a short hand held water cannon. Her eyes began to flick back and forth across the undergrowth.